La Locanda Ristorante pizzeria — Restaurant in Nasugbu

Disclaimer: This is a lengthy but a comprehensive review of our experience at La Locanda.

We were staying at Canyon Cove and since there were not so good reviews on the food within the resort we decided to go to town to get some food.

After browsing for some decent restaurants (which you can count with your fingers) we decided to dine at La Locanda.

La Locanda was just about 5 minutes drive from the resort and is very accessible situated along the main highway of Nasugbu. Upon entering the property I was warmly greeted by the staff. Since my wife was still feeding our daughter in the car, i was offered a seat while waiting and was given a glass of water for refreshment.

Entering the restaurant gave us a homey feel. Maybe since it seemed like it was a house converted to a restaurant. Nonetheless the overall ambiance was comfortable even though the place lacked cooling despite the airconditioning units.

Our server Marvin was so thoughtful to offer us some chair cushions to allow us to lay our daughter on the chairs since she was sleeping. We were offered some of their specialties and ended up ordering a shrimp cocktail - like appetizer, pizza capricciosa and spaghetti carbonarra.

Since we were celebrating a special occasion, I wanted to have some chardonnay to pair with our food. On browsing the different italian wines that they had, I was unable to find something of my liking. Upon noticing this the Italian chef/owner went out and offered something that he had inside the pantry. After some convincing we agreed to have what he was offering. His choice did not dissappoint us.

To our surprise, our meal was started with a complimentary bowl of pumpkin soup. The soup was freshly made and had croutons bursting in olive oil flavor that greatly enhanced the pumpkin puree.

The shrimp appetizer was cooked just right. The dressing not overpowering and it could used a little more pepper for my taste. Although the shrimps that I had needed some deveining, overall it was a great appetizer that paired well with our wine.

Next in our meal was the pizza. Just like a real Italian pizza, our order had the right balance of crust and toppings (toppings should not be thicker than the crust). The melted mozzarella, olives and tomatoes blended very well with the smokiness of an oven baked pizza. The crust was so good we had to ask for some balsamic and olive oil for dipping.

The highlihght of our meal was the spaghetti carbonarra cooked tableside. Marvin, our server, lit a wheel of parmesan cheese and cooked the pasta mixture over it. Lighting the wheel of cheese on fire created a layer of melted cheese that coated the pasta giving it a distinct nutty flavor. A culinary experience both visually and gastronomically.

Just when we were about to finish, we were again surprised by a special dessert treat from the owners after learning that we were celebrating a special occasion that night.

In summary, our restaurant experience was near excellent. With a great staff who paid good attention to their diners needs, and with good authentic food, top it with very engaged owners, La Locanda Ristorante Pizzeria is definitely a go to place...

Not a surprise, was looking for Google map interest in the Lian area. This is one of the top recommendations, it's located in Nasugbu town proper (few mins away from Lian).

We came in expecting good food and we got good food and service

The other two dishes is good but not to our preference since it's mostly cheese (and abundant amount to boot).

The highlight of our visit is the Prosciutto pizza. At 700 pesos, we cannot believe the amount of ham on top of the pizza. It's not even an exaggeration that it contains at least 8x more prosciutto ham than typical prosciutto pizza.

Upon seeing it served, we assumed it would taste okay since they cannot simply serve that much Ham. Oh, we were mistaken, one bite and all our doubts went away. My wife and I kept even talking about it as we left.

The place is nice, parking is easy and is old but...

I have wrestled my thoughts to gatekeep this restaurant but it will be unfair if I did hehe. Twice been here, and all have been consistent. The mushroom pizza is a must try. The pork ribs is sumptuous. The oranged duck is a bit expensive but I believe is worth the wait and price (seasonal dish). Lobster spaghetti is a delight. The star would have to be the carbonara. Simple ingredients yet complex flavor, and this is the closest I have come to the classic carbonara (guanciale! Color! Yolk! Nuff said) service is very friendly and top notch. Feel is authentic italian family restaurant, no frills and pretentious dazzle (which should be the case for these types of eateries). If price is of no matter, by all means dine here every time you crave italian in Nasugbu....